Etihad boosts capacity on Melbourne flights

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will add more seats between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne by introducing a Boeing 777-300ER to the route.
The larger aircraft, to start operating from Dec. 1, will offer 328 seats in a three-class configuration, 36 more than the Airbus A340-600, which is currently flying the Abu Dhabi-Melbourne sector.
Etihad Airways’ President and CEO James Hogan said the introduction of the larger aircraft reflected the importance to Etihad Airways of the Australian market and Melbourne in particular.
“Switching to the Boeing 777 gives us 12 percent more seats overall and 25 percent more in business class. This will enable us to increase our share of the corporate and leisure travel market between Australia and Abu Dhabi.”
Hogan said the introduction of a larger aircraft also presented a growth opportunity for the airline’s "highly successful" cargo division